Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-03-05
HOW HE FIXED ZEN.

BY THOMAS CoLQUITT.

1
August afternoon, watching for some I'M
known rogues who had been making raids
| recently upon his melons. He had been
| rewarded at last by sight of two neigh
| Dor boys, who sprang over the fence, each
carrying a large melon and Owed into the
| dark, shady woods outside. That was
| what Uncle Ned had just seen, and, as he
rested his hands upon the low rail fence
and gazed after the rogues, he said, in
| most resolute tone:
| "Ill fix 'em!"
lie did not know l was near him until I
spoke:
How do you intend to fix emf"
| Shoot 'eml" was the laconic reply.
Uncle Ned, as he had been called for half
a century, had been my grandtather's play
mate when they were boys together, and
| had been with him ever since. He was
| foreman on the farm, and the only overseer
my grandfather would have for his negroes.
| He was allowed all the privileges he de-
| sired, and was practically free man. He
was at all times kind, respectful, and oblg-
| ing and never missed an opportunity, as
| the negroes said, "to put on airs and use
| big words" These last, however. were
pretty badly mangled in their passage
through Uncle Ned's thick lips. / had
never supposed my old colored Uncle"
would dream of shooting any one, not even
a watermelon thief. But those melons were
his fortune. By selling them he was to OBJ
tain money for grand time during the
far away Christmas holidays.
"If you shoot those boys you will be
| hung" l said.
Don't care! I'll shoot EN- tonight, if
| they come back"
Seeing l could not dissuade him. / de-
termined to warn the boys, and, if possible,
turn the Joke" upon the old fellow.
Uncle Ned went to his cabin, brought out
his gun, an old musket, and proceeded to
| load. putting down heavy charge of pow
der and handful of large shot!
you mean business, Uncle Ned"
81 do dat, chile" he said, grinning.
Oars jes' twenty-fo shots in dar. I'll
| fix en-"
He then sat his ancient .un away care
fully and went out to the stables to attend
| to the horses. While he was absent l ex-
tracted the shot, counting. to make sure I
had them all out, poured down in their
stead n load of ripe, juicy poke berries,
and replaced the gun. Then, when Uncle
Ned went away to the field, went to warn
| the boys.
At dark that evening Uncle Ned was
snugly ensconced in a fence corner, behind
some bushes, commanding an easy range
of the entire field. / was hidden q few
corners away, but the old fellow did not
know was near him.
Directly three dark forms climbed over
the fence on the opposite side of the field
! and soon gathered several large melons.
heard Uncle Ned moving uneasily, and then
| the click, click, OF his gun-lock
The rogues, talking and laughing all the
| while, came quite near the ambush, sat
| down in q circle, very close together, and
| commenced to eat their stolen fruit. A
| stick cracked in Uncle Neds corner, a
| long, rusty gun barrel was softly pushed
| through the screening bushes, and then
Bang!
One of the boys sprang to his feet and
| ran away like deer; anotherfell over and
made no sound, while the third began to
groan piteously.
Uncle Ned sprang out into the open field
and stared wildly about him.
ran up to him, crying rapidly:
"Oh, Uncle Ned! You've killed Tom
| and Bob Yates! See how bloody they are.
You'll be hung! Brother Will has gone
| foI the Sheriff. You'll be hung to-mor-
! row."
"Oh, what mus do?" cried the now
| thoroughly frightened old fellow, as he
! gazed on the berry stained forms lying
| motionless at his feet.
$50 to the woods and stay until 1 can
arrange Matters" I replied. I'll leave
you something to eat every night in tho
fork of the old apple trco below the barn.
| Col"
| He went
The dead and wounded rogues recovered
as soon as Uncle Ned was gone, and we
| enjoyed hearty laugh over the adventure.
Those berries st NJ like hornets" said
one. "Ihis nights work shan 80 warn
r! ing to me. Had the old fellows gun been
| charged as he thought and intended"
You're right" cried the others together.
| ave will never steal another melon-for it
is stealing"
| We now decided TO give Uncle Ned a
| lesson in return for the one he had given
us. 1t was therefore agreed that one of
the boys should go to the old applet tree
NE following night wrapped in white
sheet, and represent the ghost of one Of
| Uncle Ned's victims, when the old fellow
came for his food.
| The following evening. directly after
| dark, as | was returning from the barn,
| some one ran against me at full speed,
knocked me to the ground, tumbled over
me, and then lay fiat Oh his face grooming
| terribly.
| "Why, Uncle Ned, they'll catch and hang
you," / cruelty reminded him.
lie raised himself slightly and began TO
| recover his senses, when he exclaimed,
pointing:
| Ugh. See it-there it is. l killed him
| Oh. O--o--oh!"
| Uncle Ned attempted to riso 10 continue
his flight as a ghostly object all ROBBED in
| white approached us, but he fell back and
lay So still that | began TO fear he was
scared to death. He had only tainted,
| however.
| We carried him to his cabin, where he
| soon recovered. lie was fairly wild with
| JOY when he learned that he had not killed
| anybody after all, and was ever afterward
| very liberal with his melons.
| An ink, or rather varnish, for writing
labels which are intended to resist the
action of acids, etc, may be prepared
as follows: Twenty parts of shellac
are dissolved in solution OF thirty parts
of borax in 300 to 40 parts of water,
with the aid of heat, and the solution is
| filtered hot. To the tiltrate are added
fifteen parts of water-soluble nigrosin,
0.3 parts of fannie acid, O. l part of pic
ric acid, fifteen parts of water of am
monia, aud enough water to produce
| the proper degree of dilution. The ink
| should be of such consistency that it
| will readily flow from the pen.